It's Nothing Personal, It's Just High School
by lalalyds2
Summary: The world of Once Upon A Time is pretty chaotic, now imagine it in high school!
1. New Beginnings

New Begninngs

_These characters are not mine, if they were, Regina bby would be happy already!_

_A _**_HUGE _**_thank you to my darling beta reader Sofia! Thank you for dealing with my many, many questions, and here's an early apology for the many, many more! You are so wonderful, even though you forced me to kill too many of Mother Technology's virtual trees. Hugs and squishes everybody! Let me know what you all think!_

* * *

"Why do I have to go to school?"

Roland mumbles, his little fist rubbing the sleep from his eyes. His brown curls are smushed to the side of his head, he blearily stares out the truck's front window. Robin glances at him once from the driver's seat, his sandy blond hair wet from a shower, his beard scruff neatly shaved.

"You're not going to school, little man." He says with a gentle smile.

"I'm going to school, you're going to daycare."

"And Marian's going to school too?"

Roland asks, turning to the girl on his right. Robin turns his glance to Marian, her swirling chocolate features are distant and unfocused.

"Yes, she is."

Roland purses his lips in thought, a dimpled smile graces his face as he gets a grand idea.

"I want to go to school! Can I come?"

He asks excitedly, Robin laughs.

"Sorry little man, you're still too young."

"I'm four." Roland's dimples turn to a pout.

"Just missed the cut, buddy. Tell you what, wait another year and you can go to kindergarten. How does that sound?"

He heaves as big a sigh a four year old can make, but nods.

"I _suppose_ I can wait that long." Robin smiles, giving him a high five.

"That's my boy."

Roland turns to Marian and tugs on her t-shirt. "Marian, are you picking me up after school?"

She jerks out of her trance-like state.

"No sweetie, I'm working my first shift at a diner tonight."

He turns to Robin, a questioning look in his doe eyes. "Sorry, my boy, I'm working too."

"The sports store?"

Robin nods, Roland huffs. "Well then _who's_ picking me up?"

He whines in the endearing way only small children can pull off.

"I am, after work at 7."

"That's such a long time!"

"Think of it this way, you'll get to spend more time with your friends."

"I don't _have_ any friends." Roland points out.

"Well then you'll get a longer opportunity to make some."

He nods at that and Robin sighs in gratitude. They pull into the parking lot for "Blue's Daycare" and Roland grabs Robin's hand before they get out of the truck.

"I don't wanna go." He says, burying his face in Robin's grey shirt.

"Why not? You're going to love it, and everyone's going to love you. How could they not?"

Roland just shakes his head.

"I need you to do something for me. I know this move has been a big change for you, but I need you to be the brave hero I know you are."

"I'm brave." He says, his voice muffled in the fabric.

Roland pops up suddenly, excited, scared, but brave.

"You can do this." Robin says.

"'Course I can." He says, his little chest puffed out.

"That's my brave little man."

Robin says proudly, he opens the truck door and hops out. Roland jumps into his waiting arms, squealing as Robin twirls around before setting him squarely on the ground. Marian gets out too and kneels down to straighten the straps of Roland's monkey backpack. "Have fun today sweetie."

She says, smiling faintly. He throws his short arms around her, kissing her on the cheek as he pulls away.

"Be good."

He tells her seriously, she smiles wider. He hugs Robin and grabs his and Marian's hands as they walk in together.

* * *

It's painfully quiet on the way to school, Robin steals glances at Marian. She's staring out the side window, her lips pursed tightly.

"What are you thinking about?" He asks lightly, she scoffs.

"Like you have to guess."

"We're fine, Marian. We'll be fine."

"That's easy for you to say, you're dad isn't a sheriff, and you're not his daughter who ran away."

"He's not going to find you, and you're 18 now, so by law he can't take you away." He says reassuringly, he wraps his free arm around her shoulders.

"I'm sure he could find some stupid law about jurisdiction over a recently turned 18 year old." She mutters.

"And the court loves him, he'll get his way."

They enter the school lot, students mill around the road. It's smaller than Robin's old school.

"Can we finish this conversation later tonight?" She asks, her eyes downcast.

"Sure, we'll talk later." He parks and walks out of the car, opening her door and grabbing her hand as she gets out.

"You can do this." He murmurs against her hair, kissing her forehead once. He thinks the sentence again in his head for himself. He takes a deep breath and tightens his hold on Marian's hand slightly.

"Let's go."

* * *

"Hi there! Welcome to Storybrooke High! I'm Mary Margaret, but you can call me Snow." Says a short and peppy-looking girl, hopping in front of Robin and Marian.

"Like the princess?" Robin asks, Snow beams.

"Exactly."

"I can see the resemblance."

The younger girl blushes, Marian elbows him in the ribs. It's true, she has raven hair fashioned in a pixie cut, an exceedingly pale complexion, and lips as red as ripe strawberries.

"Snow!"

Calls a blonde girl in a red leather jacket, she jogs up to her and loops an arm through Snow's.

"Hey."

She says, nodding to Robin and smiling at Marian. Snow keeps smiling widely for a bit before she snaps back to the moment.

"Oh, this is Emma Swan, my best friend. You can call her Emma."

"Hey." She says again.

"This is-umm..."

Snow bites her lip, embarrassed to realize she never got the new students' names. "

"Hello, I'm Robin and this is Marian."

"The new kids." Emma states, shaking his outstretched hand.

"We just moved here a week ago."

"What grade are you two in?" Snow asks.

"Both seniors." He says.

"Oh cool! Emma and I are sophomores. What classes do you have?"

Robin nudges Marian, she says hesitatingly, "Umm.. AP English."

Snow claps her hands together excitedly. "Me too! Here, I'll show you where to go."

She grabs Marian's hand and half leads, half drags her down the hall. Marian's eyes are wide in shock and panic, Robin smiles at her, both sympathetic and amused. Emma laughs.

"Sorry about Snow. She's very..."

"Spirited?"

"You could definitely call it that. So what class are you in first?"

"History."

"Come on, I'll show where that is. Welcome to Storybrooke."

* * *

He's never been spectacular at school. He's higher than average, but school has never been his forte. And it was only sophomore year that he finally started to apply himself to studying.

History is one of his favorite subjects, but chemistry is definitely not. This is his second year in this hated subject, he's only taking it again as an AP class so he doesn't have to deal with it in college. At least that's what he reminds himself as he stares at the class door.

He's a bit late, so he knows he's going to get some kind of unwanted attention because of it. One deep breath. Then another. He can do this.

"You're in my way."

Comes a rich and velvety, though demanding, voice behind him. A dark haired girl pushes past him, he briefly wonders if teachers can be that young.

"You're late, I'm just about to start."

A man's voice says from the room Robin has yet to enter. So, not a teacher. He steels his shoulders and opens the door.

"Who are you and why are you late?"

The man's voice is now paired with a grumpy face and blond hair.

"I'm Robin Hood." The class titters. "And I couldn't find my way."

He finishes, smiling sheepishly. The teacher rolls his eyes.

"Well I suppose you didn't become a legend for being on time. Find a lab partner, and hurry up."

Robin nods and scans the room, every table is full except for the one in the very front, with the other late and definitely-not-the-teacher girl.

"Hi." He says quietly, she ignores him.

"I am Doctor Whale."

The teacher states, writing his name on the dry erase board, underlining it once.

"I have a PhD in chemistry _and_ biology, and it's my rotten luck with the fates that I should be teaching you."

He takes a long sip from his thermos and starts his lecture on compounds, mixing some "When I was a young, up and coming professor- not _here_, mind you" and "When I was studying chemistry, I didn't have _nearly_ this helpful a teacher" anecdotes in between sips from his thermos.

It's not exactly thrilling, and Robin finds his attention caught by his lab partner instead.

She's stunning. With glossy, bitter chocolate brown hair cut to her shoulders, colored red lips pursed in concentration, and dark eyes filled with some fierce kind of determination, she looks like a queen. Or at least, with her business casual attire, a mayor. She's dangerously attractive.

"Stop staring." She mutters, her eyes never leaving Doctor Whale's board.

"I wasn't staring."

Robin says, now studiously looking at his textbook. It makes no sense whatsoever.

"Of course not, you were just _stealing_ glances."

She says sarcastically, he notices a thin little scar on the upper right corner of her lip.

"A joke about my name, how original."

There's a quirk of her lips, not big enough to call a smirk, and then she goes back to ignoring him.

"What's your name?"

Robin asks quietly, she doesn't say anything. He tries to take notes, his mind wanders. He opens his mouth slightly to try again, she glares, his mouth shuts.

"What grade-"

"_Mister_ Hood, I am _trying_ to teach a class here!" Doctor Whale bursts out, his cheeks reddening in irritation.

"Sorry." Robin mouths, ignoring the muffled laughter behind him. Doctor Whale huffs, takes a sip from his thermos, and continues.

* * *

Lunchtime. It's easy for Robin to find Marian, she's right in the middle of the cafeteria, surrounded by Snow, Emma, and a couple other girls, and a dog.

"Hello girls."

Robin says as he wraps an arm around Marian's shoulders, plopping his tray next to hers.

"Hi Robin."

Snow says, waving a little from across the table. Emma nods, too busy chewing her grilled cheese to speak.

"These are my other friends, Belle and Ruby."

Belle, her crystal blue eyes intently focused on a book, gives an absentminded, "Hi." She has a charming Australian accent, which Robin would bring up, if she ever looked up from her book.

Ruby, most of her face covered by long, chestnut locks, gives a friendly, "What's up?" By her side is a gigantic husky.

"That's Wolf." Snow says.

"My seeing eye dog." Ruby clarifies.

Robin fumbles for a more polite response than anything that first comes to mind.

"Oh." Is all he manages. Ruby just smiles.

"Car accident when I was 13, Wolf's been with me ever since."

Robin nods, then realizes who he's nodding to.

"Cool."

He groans inwardly at how rude he's being, Ruby laughs.

"Charming." Marian mumbles, a hint of a smile crossing her lips.

"Sorry." He says sincerely, Ruby just waves him off.

"Did you make any new friends?" Snow asks when there's a lull in conversation.

"I got a lab partner in Chemistry, she was pretty interesting. I don't think she particularly liked me."

Emma perks up a bit.

"Does she wear really professional outfits?"

"Yeah."

"And a scar on her lip?"

"Yeah."

He says again, Emma nods.

"That's Regina, Snow's older step-sister."

"Ugh, I don't want to talk about her." Snow groans.

"She and Regina don't get along." Emma says conspiratorially.

"Don't say another word, or I'll tell her you have a crush on her." Snow threatens, Emma smacks her in the arm.

"I do not." She hisses, blushing. Snow crosses her arms, smirking.

"Even _I_ can see it."

Ruby says, a self-satisfied smile on her face as the group laughs, though Emma just scoffs.

"Denial can have a detrimental effect on one's health."

Belle says, her eyes never leaving the pages of her book. Emma throws her hands in the air.

"That's it, I'm going eat with Killian!"

She sticks her tongue out at Snow, grabs her tray, and leaves them for some mysterious Killian.

"What?" Belle says, finally looking up from her psychology textbook. "Was it something I said?"


	2. Frustrations With Family

_Hi everybody, it's me with another update! Thank you all so much for the reviews! This is an Outlaw/Queen fic, but I thought the crush thing would be interesting to include. Again a disclaimer, although this will be the last time I write one, because it is more than obvious I do not own the characters in Once Upon A Time. If I only did... :)_

_Once again a **HUGE** thank you to my darling beta reader Sofia! Happy early birthday! :D You are the cat's meow...even though you're more a dog person. 3_

* * *

It's been a long day of new things for Robin. New school, new job, and new people to get to know. It's exhausting, but he can't allow himself to be tired just yet.

He musters a smile when he picks up his brother. Roland is all dimples and chatter on the ride to their apartment.

"I made so many friends today." He declares proudly, his eyes bright and excited.

"I painted a picture, but I left it at Blue's. We played a counting game, and Miss Gina said I was good at it."

His dimples deepen as he talks about one of his teachers.

"She's _so _pretty! And nice and funny and she made nap time fun!"

"Really?" Robin says, surprised. Nap time is usually torturous, as Roland hates naps. A lot.

Roland nods his head happily.

"Plus she tells the best stories. She tells fairy tales differently than you do."

"How so?" Robin asks, reminding himself it's ridiculous to feel threatened by a woman he's paying to watch his brother.

"She tells the bad guys' side of the stories. It's super cool."

Roland gushes on and on, even as they walk into the apartment, talking now about a movie he watched as Robin makes them a snack. The apartment is sparse, they're still in the process of unpacking. White walls, boxes sitting as disheveled art on the living room carpet, a faded green couch lonely without a coffee table to accompany it, an old TV shoved into the corner.

It's not home yet, but Robin plans to make it so.

"Robin, you're not listening." Roland says, Robin yawns.

"I'm sorry, my boy. Long day."

"How was school?" Roland asks, excited again.

"It was very nice, I met some very lovely young ladies. They were very friendly."

"Is that all?"

"I guess so. Oh, one of the girls had a very pretty dog. His name was Wolf."

Roland gasps excitedly.

"A puppy?!"

"A fully grown dog." Robin corrects with a chuckle.

"All dogs are puppies." Roland says.

"Too true. Now, time for a snack, you have bedtime soon and this popcorn won't eat itself."

* * *

"Hi guys." Marian says as she walks into the apartment, her shoulders sagging with exhaustion.

"Hi. Roland is in bed." Robin says, giving her an equally tired smile. She doesn't smile back.

"What time is it?" She asks as she sets her stuff on a chair.

"About 9:45."

She nods once, then grabs a glass and milk from the fridge.

"How was work?" He asks, sensing the tense silence and trying to break it.

"What am I to you?" Marian asks instead, one hand on her hip. It's rather abrupt, but that's one of the things Robin appreciates about her. When upset, she doesn't simmer.

"What do you want to be?"

"I don't know, but I'm so confused. We've been best friends for forever, dated for half of that, then we broke up and didn't talk to each other for a year. Now you've saved me from my jerk dad, we live together, you're kind and reassuring and considerate like when we dated, but you're talking about some girl you just met like you're more than interested. It's confusing. So tell me what you're feeling."

"Like we're in a new place where everything is different, and we're both searching for something. Maybe we're searching for different things." Robin says, and as he says it, it resounds deeply in his mind. It's true, they are. Robin is searching for a new beginning, he wonders what Marian's searching for.

They go to bed, separate rooms, and they both lay awake, thinking. Robin wonders if he's trying to make a new future so he can forget about the past, and Marian wonders if she's clinging onto the past because she's terrified of the future.

* * *

It's relatively quiet on the car ride to school. Roland is humming to himself, sandwiched between Robin and Marian, completely oblivious to the confused tension between to the two. Robin tries to make conversation twice, but each time it falls flat. When they drop Roland off at Blue's, he tells her what he's practiced in his head since he woke up. It comes out in one huge rush.

"Marian, you are my best friend, and I will always love you, but I'm not _in _love with you. I haven't been since we broke up. I didn't realize I was acting like we were dating again, I'm sorry. And I'm sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear, but that's how I feel."

"Ok." She says simply.

"Is it?"

"Of course, that's how you feel, and I that's what I asked to know in the first place."

"So we're ok?" He asks as they pull into the school. She smiles softly, he can't tell what she's thinking.

"Yeah." She opens the car door, he grabs her wrist gently, letting go as she hangs back.

"Marian, if you could have heard me say what you wanted, what was it you'd have heard?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Of course it does." He says, she opens the door and hops out, giving him another, slightly happier smile.

"Maybe, but you don't get to hear it. Now hurry up, we're going to be late for school."

* * *

He's not in chemistry today. It's AP psychology instead, and he's early. Belle is there, sitting further in the back. She gives him a friendly little wave. And in the front to the right sits Regina, wearing a dark red blouse with black pants. She seems to radiate an aura of 'stay away from me'. Robin sits next to her.

"Hello Regina."

"How did you get my name, did you steal it from somewhere?" She asks, her eyes never leaving her notebook as she scribbles.

"Again with the name jokes, you wound me."

"I'm sure you'll lose sleep over it, but I'll be losing more as it seems I now have a stalker."

"I'm friends with Snow." She humphs.

"Of course you are."

There's a silence as a red haired, slightly balding man walks into the room.

"Hi everybody, I'm Archie Hopper, your psychology teacher, and also your student councilor. If you have any questions about this class or you just need to talk, feel free to see me, my office is always open."

His lecture is interesting, and Robin is surprised when the bell rings, the time had just flown by.

"Hey Regina, may I-"

"No." She interrupts, standing up and walking away.

"-borrow your notes, I forgot to write mine down." He says to her retreating back.

Belle walks up to his desk and sets down a neat pile of notebook paper.

"Here you go, I don't need it back." She says.

"You're an angel." Robin says gratefully, she smiles.

"I'd be inclined to agree with you. See you later."

* * *

When Robin meets up with Marian for lunch, she's eating with Snow and Ruby. Wolf is lying on the ground, eating the scraps that purposefully fall from Snow's side of the table.

"Where's Emma and Belle?" He asks as he sits down.

"They're sitting with their boyfriends."

"Boyfriends?" He asks, confused.

"Belle is dating a senior named Gold." Seeing his confused expression, she elaborates.

"His first name is long, so he prefers his surname." Robin nods, she continues.

"He moved from England a couple years ago." Snow says. "He works as a paid intern at my stepmother's law firm."

"And Emma?"

"She's dating Killian. He moved from England the same time as Gold, they have some sort of rivalry going on."

"I thought Emma liked Regina?" Marian says, joining in the conversation for the first time.

"She does, but she won't admit it, and she also really likes Killian." Snow says.

"Oh, I see." Robin says. "What about you two?"

"I'm dating a sweet guy named David." Snow says, a huge smile splitting her face.

"He's a junior and a _quarterback_." Ruby says, a teasing edge in her tone. "A fact which I've heard practically a thousand times."

"Not a million?" Robin jokes.

"I said practically."

"Do you have a boyfriend, Ruby?" Marian asks.

"I used to, his name was Peter. But we broke up. He is now dead to me."

"What about you two? You two seem so cute!" Snow says. Marian looks down, Robin chokes on his water.

"We're not together." Marian says. Ruby and Snow sense the awkward situation and change the subject.

"What are you doing after school today, Marian?" Ruby asks.

"I'm waitressing till 8:30."

"Where?"

"Granny's Diner."

"No way! That's Ruby's diner!" Snow says, bouncing a little in excitement.

"My granny owns the place. I work on weekends during the school year." Ruby says, lightly poking Snow in the ribs to stop her shaking the table. Snow stops bouncing to give Marian a hug.

"This is so cool! We'll stop by later to say hi!"

"You really don't have to do that." Marian says shyly.

"But we will!" The bell rings. Snow stands up, Ruby and Wolf trailing after her.

"See you tonight, Marian! Bye!" Snow calls over her shoulder. Marian gives a wave, then let's her head fall into her hands.

"What's wrong?" Robin asks, concerned.

"They're going to see me in that hideous pink uniform." She moans, Robin chuckles.

"Ruby has to wear one too, probably."

"Still..."

"They're just trying to be friendly."

"And I appreciate it, but couldn't they be friendly in less mortifying ways?"

"A little embarrassment never killed anyone." Robin says, in that fatherly tone he knows she hates. She just groans.

"Wanna bet?"

* * *

It's his last class for the day, AP literature, and he's anxious to be done. He's right on time, and grabs a seat in the middle of the room. Belle is there in front of him, holding hands with a guy in a casual suit, his brown hair streaked with gray and falling to his ears. Robin assumes it's Gold, though he looks much older than a senior. He suspects Gold gets his hair colored to look like that, he tries not to snicker at the thought of the distinguished fellow in a hair salon.

"Hi Robin." Belle says, turning around in her chair to give him a wave. He waves back.

"This is Gold, my boyfriend." She says happily. He nods.

"I've heard many things about you from Ruby." He says, shaking Gold's hand.

"All bad I hope?" Gold says lightly, then he turns back to the front, as the teacher clears his throat for attention.

"I'm Arthur Spelling, let's begin-" The door opens. "Welcome latecomer." He says, Regina walks in. She ignores him and his gentle tone as she scans the room. The only seat open is next to Robin, his grin is positively Cheshire.

"You really are stalking me." She says through clenched teeth as she sits down.

"Not in the slightest. I guess you could call it incidental luck."

"I'd rather call it stalking."

"It's a small school, I can't hold blame for that."

"Ahem." The teacher clears his throat. "As I was saying, let's begin."

* * *

Work is uneventful and boring, but it runs longer than Robin would like. He drives as quickly as he can without speeding, he's still 35 minutes late. When he bursts through Blue's door, there's no one in the main lobby. He hears laughter coming from one of the back rooms and follows it.

One of the doors is open and he peeks in. Roland is sitting on the floor, building a Lego set with, of all people, Regina. She's wearing jeans, and a Blue's Daycare shirt, lying on her stomach, comfortable on the carpeted floor. She's a different kind of pretty, it's a welcoming beauty. She's still breathtaking.

"My big brother's _super_ good at Legos, Gina." Roland is saying. "He once built me a castle, and there was a drawbridge, and horses, and knights, and wagons, and knights. I was the king." He says proudly.

"And what was your brother?" She asks, smiling at the boy.

"I was the archer, of course." Robin says, stepping into the room. Roland squeals and jumps into his waiting arms. Regina stands up, crossing her arms.

"Ah, so you're a thief, a stalker, _and_ a big brother." She says.

"And you're the cold and unapproachable queen of school with a soft spot for children."

"You're forgetting I am paid to watch children."

"And you're forgetting I'm a fantastic Lego builder."

Robin reminds her with a wink. She rolls her eyes but a smile still tugs at her lips.

"Miss Blue is in the office, I'll tell her you came." She says, Roland squirms out of Robin's hold and gives Regina the biggest hug his little arms can manage.

"Bye Gina, thanks for playing with me today." She hugs him back, a brilliant smile lighting up her face.

"Bye Roland. Stalker." She nods to Robin and walks to the side office.

"What's a stalker?" Roland asks. Robin hears her laugh.


	3. Run Ins

_Hi everybody! Sorry it's taken me so long to update, I have no excuse. A big shout out to my beta reader Sofia for reminding me to continue writing when I'm wasting time. She's the bestest!_

* * *

It's Friday, and Robin cannot wait for it to be Saturday so he can explore the town with Roland. Unfortunately it's still just the morning of school, and he's stuck in chemistry. Regina's sitting beside him, but instead of relieving his boredom, she's taking copious notes and ignoring him. So Robin counts the seconds that tic by, trying and failing to listen to Doctor Whale's lecture, and glancing at the clock on the wall so often his eyes are practically glued there.

"Stop shaking the table." Regina mutters.

"What?"

"Your legs are shaking the table."

"Oh, sorry."

"What's got you so fidgety today?"

"I'm just ready to get on to the weekend, I'm spending Saturday with Roland. We're going exploring." Robin says. Regina almost smiles.

"That sounds nice."

"What are you doing this weekend?"

"Nope. No questions." She says, shaking her head slightly.

"Fine." Robin says, his hands lifting slightly in submission.

"Where are you going to explore?" She asks. He quirks an eyebrow.

"What about no questions?"

"I just meant no questions for me."

"I don't think that's quite fair." He says, a smile dimpling his cheeks. She smiles in reaction, though it's quickly covered with a frown. Doctor Whale clears his throat, they quickly pretend they've been paying attention the whole time.

"You should explore the Frozen shop, it's got the best rocky road ice cream in town." Regina whispers from the corner of her mouth.

"Why rocky road?" Robin whispers back.

"Roland told me it's his favorite flavor."

"Of course he did. That boy could eat ice cream for the rest of his days and still ask for it in heaven." She smiles at that, then focuses on her notebook. The clock ticks. Doctor Whale talks on, taking sips from his ever present thermos.

"Since you mentioned it," Robin says quietly. "Would you like to come with us for ice cream?" Regina winces slightly.

"I can't. Sorry."

"Oh, ok." He says. He's wonders her reason why, but he doesn't ask for an explanation. The class bell rings. Class is over. He stands up and stretches his restless muscles.

"Well, if you change your mind, just know the offer still stands."

He walks out of the class, not feeling or noticing her lingering glance at his retreating form.

* * *

"So what's going on with you and Regina?" Ruby asks Robin at lunch. It's just them and Wolf at the table, as Marian is sitting with Emma and Killian, Belle and Gold are at a different table, and Snow is still getting lunch. He's grateful it's just him and Ruby, so no one hears him choke on his water.

"What? There's nothing going on."

"You talk and wonder about her all the time. And yeah, she turns every guys' head in school, but her icy demeanor usually chases them away. But to you, she's not some passing fancy, I can tell. So what's going on?"

"You sound like Belle." He says wryly.

"She was reading to me from her favorite dictionary/thesaurus this morning, but that's beside the point and you're avoiding the question. What's going on with you and Regina?"

"Hi guys!" Snow's cheery voice says as she walks to the table. Robin nearly sighs in relief.

"Hey Robin, this is my boyfriend, David." Snow says, her free hand waving in her boyfriend's direction. He's tall, with short blond hair and baby blue eyes. He shakes Robin's hand tightly.

"Nice to meet you. I'm surprised I haven't seen you around yet." David says.

"It's only the third day of school." Robin says genially. David nods before Snow starts a new conversation.

"So will you try out for any sports this year?" David asks later.

"I hadn't really thought about it, I'm not exactly into school sports." Robin says. David's eyes narrow in judgement the slightest bit, but then he smiles.

"To each his own, I guess. So what do you like to do?"

"I like spending time with my little brother, being outdoors, adventuring. That sort of thing." Robin says.

"Cool. I have a brother too, my twin, James."

"That's quite interesting, what's it like having a twin?"

"We don't spend much time together. My parents are divorced, he lives with my dad and I live with my mom. We switch parents for the weekends, but we don't see each other a lot."

"Oh. Sorry." Robin says, not quite sure how to respond, David keeps talking.

"Sure, it's a little tiring, switching houses all the time, but I get to see both parents, so I'm grateful." Snow sighs, her hand moving to rest on David's bicep.

"You're so strong, dealing with this so maturely." She says sweetly, David nods.

"It can be hard at times, but it's best to see this as a good thing."

"You're my hero." Snow says, David smiles.

"My hero too." Ruby says, a layer of sarcasm lacing her words. It flies straight over David's head.

"I'm no hero, I just try my best to do what's right, and see the good in everything." He says seriously.

"How noble." Ruby says, sarcasm again. David just beams.

The bell rings. More classes.

* * *

"Robin wake up!" A blurred streak of curls hurtles himself onto the form of a snoring Robin.

"Oof! Who's that standing on my ribs?" Robin's voice says sleepily.

"It's me, Roland. It's morning! Time to get up!" A giggling Roland says, hopping off Robin to bounce on the bed.

"Are you sure?" Robin says, trying to push the covers off him, only half succeeding.

"'Course I'm sure. It's time for 'ventures!" Roland says, his green and blue spaceship pajamas finally focusing in Robin's bleary-eyed gaze.

"Right. Adventures." He says, rubbing his stiff neck as he gets out of bed.

"Here's our beginning adventure, first bathroom. Then breakfast."

Marian is in the kitchen when Robin comes stumbling in, Roland bounding behind him, a toothbrush still clutched in his little hand.

"Morning boys." She says, a real smile brightening her face. Roland beams back at her, his little teeth still slightly blue from toothpaste.

"Did you forget to rinse, Roland?" She says, ruffling his hair and pushing him gently back in the direction of the bathroom. She shares a smile with Robin, laughing at Roland's morning cuteness.

"I'll be right back." Robin says. She starts pulling out Roland's cereal and a bowl, she laughs to herself as she catches snippets of Roland and Robin's conversation.

"You don't need anymore toothpaste buddy." She hears Robin say.

"But I need to brush my teeth."

"You already did, remember? You just need to rinse."

"Rinsing isn't as fun."

"But still necessary." She hears the sink running, a cup sloppily placed on the sink counter.

"Good job. Now breakfast. Wait, you need to put your toothbrush back."

"But it's my sword, I need it to save the kingdom."

"How about we find a new sword in the kitchen?"

"I like this one."

"We'll find an even better one."

"Like a spoon?"

"Sure."

The conversation stops as Roland comes bouncing into the kitchen.

"Hello princess." He says merrily, he opens the drawers but he's not tall enough to see what's in them.

"Princess," He whispers, his hand reaching up and patting the silverware in the drawer.

"Can you hand me a big wooden spoon?" Marian giggles as she grabs the spoon, lightly touching Roland's shoulders with it before handing it to him.

"I dub thee Sir Roland, my gallant knight." She says, he giggles and charges into the living room, smacking the cardboard boxes with the back of his spoon.

"I'll protect you princess!" He cries, a ball of energy and noble intentions. Robin laughs, standing in the hallway and looking much more awake.

"I'm working till five," Marian says. "What are you and Roland doing today?"

"Exploring around town. You have tomorrow off?" He asks, she nods.

"I work at a later time tomorrow, so I can take Roland out to give you some alone time if you want."

"That would be nice, thanks." She says, he smiles at her.

"You seem happy today." He observes.

"I think I'm getting used to this place. It's nice here."

"It is indeed." Roland tires of running around the living room and joins the two in the kitchen. He chomps happily on his cereal, talking in between bites. And then he's done and it's time to get dressed and go.

* * *

They first drop Marian off at Granny's Diner. Ruby's there, not in uniform, and Roland is beyond ecstatic to meet Wolf. Regina's there as well.

"Hi." Robin says, sitting next to her at the counter, still keeping an eye out for the excited Roland.

"Good morning stalker." She says, the hint of a smile covered up as she sips from her mug.

"I didn't know you were going to be here." He says in defense.

"I'm just here to meet someone and get hot chocolate." She says.

"Who are you meeting?" She gives him a look. He grins in remembrance.

"Right, no questions." She nods, grinning as well. Marian walks past them to wait on a booth, Robin stops smiling.

"Well, I should go, let you meet your someone. Nice to bump into you." He says, standing up and beckoning Roland over.

"Hi Miss Gina!" Roland squeals excitedly, giving her a flappy handed wave. "Why are you here?" He asks bluntly, Regina chuckles.

"For the hot chocolate." He gasps and gazes up at Robin imploringly.

"Can we get some too?"

"Not if we're going to get rocky road ice cream later, my boy." Roland smiles at that and starts pulling on Robin's hand.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get going!" He says excitedly. "Bye Miss Gina." He says as an afterthought.

"Bye Roland. Have fun today." Regina says, ruffling the boy's hair and giving a small smile to Robin.

"See you around." He says, winking jovially. She rolls her eyes, but there's the slightest hint of red tinging her cheeks. She turns her head so it's covered by her shoulder length hair.

"See you."

* * *

The two brothers visit the library, running into Belle, who volunteers there. Roland finds four books about dragons that he insists _must_ come home with them that day, they accidentally bump into Regina again as she's walking in and they're walking out.

"Hello again." Robin says, amused.

"Stalker." Is all she says, her smile to Roland somehow softens the word.

Then Robin and Roland take a hike in the forest surrounding the town and end up fighting wood monsters with hiking stick swords. They discover a playground near a lake, and eat a sandwich lunch on the swings. Roland feeds the ducks his crust, Robin tries to teach him how to skip rocks. It turns into just throwing the rocks as far into the lake as they possibly can. Robin wins, Roland declares him the greatest, but Robin swears it was almost a tie.

They're walking down the street to get ice cream when they bump into Regina again.

"This is just getting weird." Robin says.

"At least it's you saying it this time." Regina says.

"Wanna come with us for ice cream?" Roland asks hopefully, Regina bites her bottom lip in a wince. Robin tries to ignore it, tries to not focus on her very pretty lips.

"Sorry sweetie," he tries to ignore how her affection for his brother stirs something in his chest.

"But I can't. Thank you very much for the offer." She says.

"You're welcome." Roland says politely, then adds, "But you're missing out."

She laughs. "I most definitely am." She gives them both a wave and walks away.

They get their rocky road from a nice lady named Ingrid and sit by the tables outside the shop.

"I really like Miss Gina." Roland states, his mouth ringed with the sticky sweet.

"Me too." Robin muses, his spoon halfway to his mouth when he freezes, realizing he'd said that out loud. Roland is completely oblivious to his big brother's slip of tongue and confusion.

"Someday I'm gonna marry her." He says, Robin coughs, trying to suppress his surprised laugh.

"I think you're a little too young, my boy." He manages.

"I said _someday_." Roland says, a stubborn set in his jaw. "When I'm older. Like, ten."

"There still might be a few problems."

"Hmph. She's just _so_ pretty!" Roland thinks hard for a moment, then his entire face brightens in revelation.

"I've got it! _You_ can marry her!"

Robin tries valiantly to suppress the uncomfortable laughter rising from his chest, he fails. Fortunately, Roland laughs along with him, though not quite understanding why.

_Only little brothers_, Robin thinks to himself. _Only little brothers_.


	4. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

_Hi everybody! Super sorry for the slow update, and how short it is, life has a way of keeping you busy. Anyway, here it is, thank you for your patience._

_**HUGE** shoutout to my darling beta reader, Sofia. You are fantastic! _

* * *

It's a Sunday afternoon, and Robin and Roland are back in the library. Roland read his dragon books in a flash, and he had insisted to spend the day in the library. Robin can't really complain, seeing as it keeps Roland happy and occupied. Robin strolls through the book aisles, keeping an ear out for Roland and looking for a book to read. He's in the history section when he hears a familiar voice.

"Good job, Henry. See? Math's not so hard."

"Easy for you to say, Regina. You've already learned this stuff."

"I suppose so. See you next week."

A brown haired, middle-school boy walks by Robin. Robin peeks his head out from the side of the shelf. Regina is sitting at one of the cherry wood desks, packing up her notebooks.

"I can feel you staring at me, stalker." She says, though he can hear a smile in her voice. He walks to her side, his hands in his pockets and a grin on his face.

"Hello again. Have a nice meeting with your...son?" He teases.

"Ha ha, very funny. That was Henry, Emma's younger brother. I tutor him."

"So when we bumped into you yesterday, did you also tutor him then? Do you normally tutor him both Saturday _and_ Sunday?"

"Do you normally ask so many questions?"

"Usually." He smiles cheekily.

"If you must know, Henry has a math test tomorrow, so I was just helping him prepare."

"That's nice of you. Do you like tutoring?"

"I do, Henry's a good kid."

Roland walks up to them, placing a book on the table by Robin. He smiles at Regina but doesn't say a word, wandering off to the kid's corner again.

"He is so precious." Regina says, smiling. It's the most carefree Robin's seen her since she was playing on the floor at Blue's Daycare with Roland.

"Indeed. I am very lucky." Regina sighs, her chin propped up on a fisted hand.

"If only we were all graced with such luck. To be completely honest, I'm hiding from my siblings."

"Snow?" Robin asks.

"Her, and my half-sister, Zelena."

"You have a half-sister?" Regina rolls her eyes.

"Always the questions with you." He grins sheepishly.

"Sorry, but you can't just say things like that and not expect me to ask." He says, she huffs.

"I usually _don't_ just say things like that. Especially not to people I barely know."

"I've been told I have charm." He says, her look is more than skeptical.

"A half-sister?" Robin asks again.

"Before my mother married my father, she had Zelena with some other guy, but they split up and he got custody of Zelena. She visits on the weekends if she's not too busy with college."

"I take it you two aren't the best of friends?"

"That would be putting it lightly. She's always been jealous that I get to live with our mom and she doesn't, but trust me, that's no picnic either." She pauses, wincing.

"Why do I keep telling you things like this? It's really not like me." She says, more to herself than to Robin.

"I'm easy to talk to." He offers, she just frowns.

"I have to go." She grabs her bag and stands up, Robin stands too.

"See you tomorrow." He says.

"Yeah, sure." She answers absentmindedly. She leaves quickly, Robin still standing by the table. Roland walks to his big brother, his little arms laden with seven more books. He manages to pick the eighth one up from the table, with Robin's help of course, and together they make their way to the library desk. Belle is there, she beams when she sees Roland.

"Hey Robin." Roland whispers, tugging a little on Robin's jeans.

"Yes, my little man?"

"Do you have your card?"

"Yeah."

"Oh good," Roland looks relieved. "I'm so glad, because I don't have any money."

"You don't buy the books, you borrow them. It's free." Robin says, trying to hide his smile. Belle overhears their conversation, as little children do not whisper quietly, and she giggles from behind her hand.

"Borrowing books is _free_?"

"That's right."

"Then hold on, I'm going to get _more_!"

* * *

Monday morning, Robin is in psychology, sitting next to Belle. Regina walks in, sitting as far away from Robin as she can. He's disappointed, but he understands not to push boundaries. It's strange, how much he wants to get to know her. He's never been interested in anyone before besides Marian, and something about Regina seems to call to him. He can't concentrate to Mr. Hopper's lecture because she's invaded his peripheral vision and it's distracting, she's playing with her hair as she takes notes. The bell rings and class is over. Robin sighs. He's forgotten to take notes again.

* * *

Lunch period. Gossip with the girls. This is the quickest Robin has ever fallen into routine, and to his surprise, he likes it. Today, Belle, Marian, and Ruby are sitting together with Gold. Robin is called over to sit with Snow, David, Emma and a dark haired boy Robin's never seen before.

"Hey Robin! Have you met Killian?" Snow asks, gesturing to the boy. He waves his leather clad hand, Robin nods. Killian's also wearing a black leather jacket, black jeans, and on a second glance, he's wearing a hint of black eyeliner. He looks like some sort of modern day pirate, though Robin would never say that out loud.

"Hello." Robin says, smiling.

"Nice to meet you, mate."

"I'm actually surprised you two haven't met already." Emma says.

"What grade are you in?" Killian asks Robin.

"I'm a senior."

"Ah, me too. Now I'm really surprised we haven't met already."

Robin shrugs, not knowing how to answer. The topic changes, from class assignments to college applications to people.

"Did you notice Regina's sitting with the trouble trio today?" Emma says.

"Regina eats in the cafeteria?" Robin asks, confused. He's never seen her around here before.

"Not usually," Snow says. "She usually just studies during lunch period. I hope she's not getting mixed up with the trouble trio again."

"Who are they?" Robin asks.

"They're three seniors, Mal, Ursula, and Cruella." Emma says.

"Strange names." Robin comments.

"And mean girls. They're really into the partying scene, and I heard they're the ones behind the random acts of vandalism around town." Snow says, leaning closer as she talks in hushed tones.

"Regina used to hang out with them her sophomore year, they were a bad influence on her. She liked me even less then."

"Why doesn't she like you?" Robin asks. Snow shrugs, suddenly uncomfortable.

"It's not my story to tell." David wraps an arm around her shoulders, giving Robin a hard stare.

"And it wasn't your fault. You're older now, wiser. You've moved past it." He says, comforting her.

"I'm sorry if I upset you, Snow." Robin says sincerely. "I was just curious."

"It's ok." Snow says, quickly changing the subject. Robin stops listening as she and Emma chatter, scanning the cafeteria for the supposed bad girls. He finds them, though Snow hadn't described their features, he can tell they're the ones she was talking about. Two pale, blonde girls, their blood red lipstick bright against the fair skin; a girl with chocolate skin and caramel hair sits between them, her dark eyes gleaming mischievously. Sitting to the left of the trio, laughing at something the middle girl said, is Regina.


End file.
